Skip to main content

TV When You're Quarantined

I have quickly become hooked on a podcast called "Rewatchables," and I'll make my pitch here.

This is a group of movie enthusiasts who gather and talk at length about movies they love. That's all. The talks are not overly technical. But they are thoughtful and passionate. So far, I've listened to four: "Gone Girl," "Election," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," and "Fatal Attraction."

The movies chosen aren't super-arty; these are major cultural touchstones, movies seen by many, many people. The panelists will walk through the plot of the movie, then choose favorite scenes, gossip about stars who weren't selected, re-imagine the story as a ten-part Netflix series, and name the moments that haven't aged well.

For example: "Gone Girl" could have been the Jon Hamm Story, if Matthew Weiner hadn't put a foot down. Brad Pitt was considered for "Election." Glenn Close had to fight hard to be Alex. The female lead in "Gone Girl" could have been Hough, from "Dancing with the Stars" --!

You hear a bit about directors' idiosyncratic tendencies. David Fincher had NPH and Rosamund Pike rehearse the big "Gone Girl" sex scene on their own for hours, without supervision. (Pike also apparently practiced with a doll.) Glenn Close was sadistically tortured when "Fatal Attraction" had its final re-shoot (a re-shoot she objected to); Close spent so much time underwater that she developed an ear infection. Anthony Minghella--at the height of his powers after "English Patient"--refused to make "Ripley" until he had total control--full-stop--over the casting.

The panelists choose favorite lines--"I couldn't have my girlfriend pay for the motel room, because her parents see all her checks"--and they make smart, accessible notes on scoring a soundtrack, framing a trailer, tipping a hat to Hitchcock, and adapting a book to the big screen.

There is so much love in the series--and there is also a genuine interest in making you, the listener, a bit more alert when you watch a film.

I already feel my approach to movie-watching undergoing a small change, and I'm thankful for that.

So: recommended.....

ttps://luminarypodcasts.com/listen/the-ringer/rewatchables-99/3cd826a7-d3d0-4354-a3d0-055f0eb1ac7a?gclid=Cj0KCQjwm9D0BRCMARIsAIfvfIYK8bNOM5fuqZhmRi1_sPQqZmaoVO1hYcD8CZV8s2k0en_lW7AK_g0aAma5EALw_wcB&country=US
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Host a Baby

-You have assumed responsibility for a mewling, puking ball of life, a yellow-lab pup. He will spit his half-digested kibble all over your shoes, all over your hard-cover edition of Jennifer Haigh's novel  Faith . He will eat your tables, your chairs, your "I {Heart] Montessori" magnet, placed too low on the fridge. When you try to watch Bette Davis in  Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte , on your TV, your dog will bark through the murder-prologue, for no apparent reason. He will whimper through Lena Dunham's  Girls , such that you have to rewind several times to catch every nuance of Andrew Rannells's ad-libbing--and, still, you'll have a nagging suspicion you've missed something. Your dog will poop on the kitchen floor, in the hallway, between the tiny bars of his crate. He'll announce his wakefulness at 5 AM, 2 AM, or while you and another human are mid-coitus. All this, and you get outside, and it's: "Don't let him pee on my tulips!" When...
3 comments
Read more

Joshie

  When I was growing up, a class birthday involved Hostess cupcakes. Often, the cupcakes would come in a shoebox, so you could taste a leathery residue (during the party). Times change. You can't bring a treat into a public school, in 2024, because heaven knows what kind of allergies might lurk, in unseen corners, in the classroom. But Joshua's teacher will allow: a dance party, a pajama day, or a guest reader. I chose to bring a story for Joshua's birthday (observed), but I didn't think through the role that anxiety might play in this interaction. We talk, in this house, quite a bit about anxiety; one game-changer, for J, has been a daily list of activities, so that he knows exactly what to expect. He gets a look of profound satisfaction when he sees the agenda; it doesn't really matter what the specific events happen to be. It's just about knowing, "I can anticipate X, Y, and Z." Joshua struggled with his celebration. He wore his nervousness on his f...
2 comments
Read more

Josh at Five

 Joshie's project is "flexibility"; the goal is to see that a plan is just an idea, not a gospel, not a guarantee. This is difficult. Yesterday, we went to a restaurant--billed as "open," with unlocked doors--and the owner informed us of an "error in advertising." But Joshie couldn't accept the word "closed." He threw himself on the floor, then climbed on the furniture. I felt for the owner, until he nervously made a reference to "the glass windows." He imagined that my child might toss himself through a sealed window, like Mary Katherine Gallagher, or like Bruce Willis, in "Die Hard." Then--thank the Lord!--I was able to laugh. The thing that really has therapeutic value for Joshie is: a firetruck. If we are out in public, and he spots a parked truck, he wants to climb on each surface. He breathlessly alludes to the wheels, the door, the windows. If an actual fire station ("fire ocean," in Joshie's parla...
Post a Comment
Read more